For the first time since awakening the Beast Sovereign inheritance...
Kael felt fear.
Not fear of death.
Not fear of losing a battle.
But fear of the truth.
The Primordial Beast inside him, the existence that had never bowed before anything, was silent.
The Void Monarch noticed.
"So you finally understand."
Kael looked at the ancient being.
"Understand what?"
The Void Monarch moved closer.
"The creature you call the Primordial Beast was not born in this world."
Dark energy surrounded them.
"It was created from the first darkness that existed before creation itself."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"You're saying..."
"The Primordial Beast is a fragment of the Void."
The words echoed.
A normal person would have broken under such a revelation.
But Kael remained calm.
"Then why did it protect this world?"
The Void Monarch stopped.
"Because the First Sovereign gave it something we never possessed."
"A soul."
Silence.
Kael looked at the shadow behind him.
The Primordial Beast.
The ancient creature that had guided him.
The Void Monarch continued.
"The First Sovereign believed even darkness could choose another path."
"And he was right."
A strange expression appeared on its face.
"But he made one mistake."
Kael stared.
"What mistake?"
The Void Monarch raised its hand.
"He separated the darkness from itself."
A wave of energy erupted.
"You."
The darkness around Kael began reacting.
"The Beast Sovereign power."
"The Primordial Beast."
"And the Void."
"They were always one existence."
Kael felt the power inside his body become unstable.
The golden energy and black energy collided.
The entire Void shook.
[Warning.]
[Energy conflict detected.]
[Bloodline instability increasing.]
Kael gritted his teeth.
The Void Monarch smiled.
"Give in."
"You were never meant to be a protector."
"You were created to return to the Void."
Kael lowered his head.
For a moment...
The darkness covered his eyes.
Memories flooded his mind.
The destruction of ancient worlds.
The fall of previous Sovereigns.
The endless cycle of war.
Then he remembered something else.
The faces of his companions.
The beasts that bowed to him.
The world waiting outside.
Kael slowly raised his head.
"No."
The Void Monarch's expression changed.
"No?"
Kael clenched his fist.
"I don't care where my power came from."
"I don't care who created me."
"The only thing that matters..."
"Is what I choose to become."
The Primordial Beast behind him opened its eyes.
But this time...
It was not angry.
It was not afraid.
It was proud.
A powerful roar echoed throughout the Void.
The golden and black energies stopped fighting.
They merged.
A new power was born.
[New Ability Acquired.]
[Primordial Sovereign Form.]
The Void Monarch stepped back.
Impossible.
"You achieved balance?"
Kael looked at his transformed hands.
Black scales covered with golden markings.
A crown-like symbol appeared on his forehead.
"I am not a creature of the Void."
"I am not just a Beast Sovereign."
"I am Kael."
The Void Monarch's eyes narrowed.
"Then prove your will."
The darkness around it transformed.
A massive throne appeared behind the ancient being.
The Throne of the Void.
A throne that had controlled countless worlds.
"Every ruler must face the throne."
"If you sit upon it, the Void will accept you."
"If you reject it..."
"The Void will consume you."
Kael looked at the throne.
The answer seemed simple.
But he knew.
The throne was a trap.
It did not test strength.
It tested desire.
The desire to control everything.
The desire to become above all.
Kael walked forward.
The Void Monarch smiled.
"Good."
"Choose your destiny."
Kael reached the throne.
His hand touched it.
The entire Void trembled.
Images appeared.
A universe under his command.
Every beast obeying him.
Every enemy destroyed.
No suffering.
No war.
Absolute control.
A perfect world.
All he had to do...
Was sit.
Kael closed his eyes.
Then he turned away.
The Void Monarch's smile disappeared.
"You refuse power?"
Kael looked back.
"No."
"I refuse slavery disguised as power."
The Throne of the Void cracked.
For the first time in countless ages...
The Void itself recognized a ruler.
Not one who wanted to control it.
But one who could stand above it.
A voice older than existence itself echoed.
"Candidate accepted."
"New Sovereign confirmed."
The Void Monarch stared at Kael.
Impossible.
The throne had chosen him.
But before Kael could understand what happened...
The Void Monarch whispered:
"Then you must know the final truth."
Kael looked at it.
"What truth?"
The ancient being answered:
"The First Sovereign was not the only one who entered the Void."
A pause.
"He was the first."
"And you..."
"Are the last."